Wild Ones: Make A Difference
by Gymgal99
Summary: Notice: This isn't exactly a Phantom Stallion story, though it is definitely something any wild horse lover should read. Free-roaming Mustangs in America will soon be non-existent. The American people need to stand up for change before it's too late to save these magnificent creatures. Will you be that one to Make A Difference?
1. Chapter 1

America's wild horses and burros are just that. AMERICA'S. Technically, by law, every free-roaming wild horse or burro belongs to the American people. Since we the people have a right to these animals, why is our government ignoring our pleas to save them?

Daily, our horses are being sold to slaughter. Yearly THOUSANDS are taken from their homelands. Chased by machines that terrify them, with no explaination. Shoved into tight corrals, and dark trailers. They cannot see the sky. Huddled together with other horses they don't know. So close, fights break out. Shown cruelty they'll never understand. Never deserved.

According to The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, "Wild Horses and Burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the west." If this is what the law says, why aren't the animals being treated as the law says they should?

"It is the policy of congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands." In other words, Congress originally made round-ups illegal, because these animals are play an important part of the West's ecosystem! Now, however, round-ups are as common and cruel as ever! Here Congress has made cruelty illegal, yet our Government has found a way around actually protecting the wild ones to make a profit. Killing innocent creatures for money. Selling our "Living Symbols of the Historic and Pioneer Spirit of the West" to SLAUGHTER.

Everyone has a voice, but how many individuals voices' are ignored? Most. Standing together as a whole, of those who care about these incredible creatures, we would be nearly impossible to ignore. Stand up for what you believe. Stand up for animals with no voice. Make a difference, not just to the horses and burros, but to the people who also care about them.


	2. Freedom

I have a feeling of great satisfactory that one day I shall become the Bureau of Land Management's worst enemy. I will take great joy in proving them wrong one day.

Here in America, we supposedly have an eternal message-Freedom. But I don't see it anymore.

"With all due respect for our official icon, the eagle, he of broad wingspan and the ability to see across great distances, of all patience born of the ages and of majestic flight; it is really the wild horse, the four-legged with the flying mane and tail, the beautiful, big-hearted steed who loves freedom so much, that when captured, he dies of a broken heart; the ever defiant mustang that is our true represenative, coursing through our blood as he carries the eternal message of America."- Deanne Stillman in _Mustang. The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West._

I feel like America isn't true to itself anymore. How could TRUE Americans stand for freedom, while taking it from someone who's had it longer than we?

Horses are companions by choice. Much like our country, no one can make them do what they are unwilling to do. Much like our country, they are a living symbol of freedom. Who are we humans to take that away?

"Sometimes, when the light disappears, an afterimage remains- just for a second. Mustangs are an afterimage of the west, no better than ghosts, hardly there at all. No one really wants them, not ranchers nor city people- that's their destiny. Let them disappear once and for all, along with all the other misfits, loners and relics of a wilderness no one cares about anymore. Lucky for us a few mustangs survived, hidden away in the mountains. We need to protect them, for they are some kind of living memory of what the promise of America used to be- and could be again."- Flicka(2006)

After fighting for our own freedom from the British, how can we take it from such beautiful, proud creatures?

From a personal standpoint, these animals are amazing. They have endured as much as we, such as droughts, food shortages, poaching and now us, Americans. Yet, they are still true, still strong, with a spirit that cannot be broken. I see my own self in these wonderful animals. They are restless, as I am, in captivity. They want their freedom, and for serving us humans so faithfully, they deserve it. I want my own freedom too, I want to bask in the greatness of an uncontained, strong-willed, true mustang heart. But how can I, if it ceases to exsist, due to the American Government's greed over the land?

"All I want is the wind in my hair, to face the but, not feel scared. Wild horses, I wanna, be like you. Throwing caution, to the wind, I'll run free too, Wish I could recklessly love, like I'm longing to. I wanna run with the wild horses."- Natasha Bedingfield's _Wild Horses._

My love and passion for horses, Mustangs, cannot be contained, much like their spirit. My future, my life and my soul belong to them, and I will stop at nothing to protect and save them, and their freedom.

Joanie Bouchoux,

-Wild Horse Advocate


	3. You Have A Voice

Mustangs.  
To many, the word means nothing. No more than just existing, and to some, they don't exist. They don't matter.  
But to many others, they're our history, a living symbol of our countries pioneer days. A sign of freedom, beauty, rebellion, and survival instinct.  
How many people actually know how hard a mustang must fight to survive? How much WE must fight their battle for freedom for them because they are powerless in this war? Not nearly enough. The horses and burros may be powerless and voiceless in our government, but we are not.  
For years, wild horse and burro lovers' voices have been silenced. These amazing animals are still being removed from their homelands via helicopter. The American voices should not be ignored.  
We horse lovers must not back down, refuse to be silent, and continue the fight for these creatures.  
For we have the voices that they lack.  
MAKE A DIFFERENCE!


End file.
